Unveiled on the first day of the ongoing Stockholm Motor Show (March 30 – April 9, 2006) in Stockholm, Sweden, the Saab BioPower Hybrid concept appeared to be nothing but a convertible version of the Saab 9-3 sedan. A closer look at the vehicle’s details, however, revealed that it is a hybrid vehicle concept. But the vehicle was no ordinary hybrid vehicle, because the Saab BioPower Hybrid is the first ever hybrid convertible to be conceptualized. And not only that! The Saab BioPower Hybrid concept is also the world’s first fossil-free hybrid vehicle!

The Saab BioPower Hybrid concept features a modular hybrid system made up of one BioPower engine and two electric motors. The BioPower engine is an all-aluminum, turbocharged, 2.0-liter engine that is capable of running in pure ethanol or E100 fuel and outputs 260 bhp. The electric motor combination, on the other hand, is made up of a 38 kW rear mounted electric motor and a 15 kW integrated starter generator (ISG). Other features of the hybrid system are a maintenance free, 300-volt battery bank and an all-wheel drive with electric power transmission to the rear wheels. All of these features are amazingly packaged tightly to fit in the Saab 9-3 Convertible without sacrificing accommodation or trunk space.

Running on either pure ethanol or electricity, there is really no way for the Saab BioPower Hybrid concept car to produce any fossil CO2 emissions. But that’s not the only benefit that the hybrid system has brought to the vehicle. With the system, the vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in a mere 6.9 seconds, which is a large improvement compared to the 8.8 seconds registered by its gasoline-powered counterpart. It can also generate torque values of up to three times greater than its gasoline-only equivalent. The system also features an electric-only ‘Zero Mode’ for city driving and regenerative braking.

According to Jan Ã…ke Jonsson, Saab Automobile’s Managing Director, the Saab BioPower Hybrid concept is currently not in the company’s production plan. He stated, however, that hybrids are “interesting for Saab in the future and this project allows us to evaluate and explore the potential of hybrid technology in combination with BioPower.”